There is no quick fix to the economic inactivity problem

This blog first appeared as an Editorial for the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) Journal. This highlighted the evidence base on both the longer-term and shorter-term increases in economic inactivity amongst particular groups, especially amongst those with health conditions or disabilities. These have pointed out that whilst the Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicates that unemployment is at a historical low, employment has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels with currently a quarter of a million fewer people in employment than before the pandemic.

How Offenders Can Bounce Back

The Prisons and Courts Bill 2017, sets out the purpose of prisons as : “In giving effect to sentences or orders of imprisonment or detention imposed by courts, prisons must aim to— (a) protect the public, (b) reform and rehabilitate offenders, (c) prepare prisoners for life outside prison, and (d) maintain an environment that is safe and secure.”

Marginalisation, Inclusion and Research: Academic Challenges?

As a feminist academic, my work often imbues my teaching and research practices with a firm sense of responsibility. It could be argued that the role of the feminist academic is to give voice to marginalised groups - particularly marginalised women, in order to expose inequalities, exclusion and stereotypes - 'to make everything less simple' as Mary Beard says. The feminist academic is often expected to challenge prevailing norms which impinge on the rights of 'marginalised groups'.

Post-truth and the Politics of Austerity: the impact on the left behind places and people in older industrial Britain

Professor Christina Beatty Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Post-truth is defined as 'relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.  It was therefore not entirely surprising when Oxford Dictionaries announced it as their word of the year in … Continue reading Post-truth and the Politics of Austerity: the impact on the left behind places and people in older industrial Britain